Ring of Honor - November 25, 2015

Moose (with Stokely Hathaway) vs. Dominick Carter

Carter is a scrappy young man who looks mismatched against the chiseled Moose. One spear is all she wrote and Moose wins at 0:08. I don’t know, squash matches without a 45 second chinlock spot just don’t do it for me /sarcasm.Winner: Moose

-Stokely talks about how awesome and accomplished Moose is, especially compared to Michael Elgin. This lures Elgin out, who insinuates that Moose should try speaking for himself. Moose suggests they fight right then and there. Elgin isn’t backing down, but Truth Martini shows up to ruin the party. Martini doesn’t think Moose or Elgin deserve to advance to #1 contender and unleashes his goons on them.

This is an impromptu match and the bell rings during a ringside brawl. They quickly cut to commercial. After the break, Elgin and Moose are coexisting long enough to control the pace of the match. Elgin shows off with a loooong delayed vertical suplex. Elgin and Moose make an uneasy tag, giving the jabronis an opening. It looks like no one was sure what was supposed to happen and Diesel saves face with a choke slam on Elgin. Moose gets caught as the isolated heel in peril, eating a double drop-kick to the head. Moose comes back with his patented jabs and stumbles into a tag to Elgin, who clears the ring of the job squad for a somersault senton off the apron. Elgin dispatches Taeler with some fancy dancing and returns for a German suplex on Diesel. Moose blind tags to clean up Diesel with a spear at 5:41 (shown). This match fell off the rails at one point in the middle, but succeeded in making Moose vs. Elgin seem like a big fight worth seeing.Winners: Moose and Michael Eligin

-It’s Story Time with Adam Cole. He puts over Matt Taven and Mike Bennett for becoming dominating Tag Team Champions. We’re treated to footage from last week’s Kingdom vs. Addiction match. I’d already completely forgotten about the red masked man who interfered. The Kingdom has to contend with War Machine at Final Battle. Cole takes some time to talk up his match against Dalton Castle, which will be Cole’s opportunity to show he’s still the best wrestler on the planet.

-Video package highlighting Roderick Strong’s chase after Jay Lethal and his World and TV titles. Strong says it’s not all about titles, he just needs one more match to take away Lethal’s pride.

-BJ Whitmer has barged into the ring for some mic time, accompanied by minions, Colby Corino and Adam Page. Whitmer doesn’t believe a word Steve Corino said last week when he rejected their grudge match due to his health. BJ takes it one step further, accusing Nigel McGuinness of faking injuries to retire. Nigel dishes out some justice, barring Whitmer and his lackeys from Final Battle.

I have to admit, I really like ROH’s new video wall and entrance videos. The set now has a nice Raw circa 1997 feel to it. The feeling out process turns intense and Lethal flees for a time out. The match restarts with Strong controlling a mat game. Lethal runs away but fails to lure Strong into a trap and needs another breather a commercial sets in. After the break, Lethal is wrestling more like a champion, controlling a ringside brawl. Strong is selling an elbow injury after getting tossed into the guard rail. Lethal misses the Lethal Injection, giving a dazed Strong room for a potential comeback. Roderick connects with a flurry of running forearms, almost kills Lethal pulling him off the ropes, and manages a backbreaker for 2. Cue the second commercial. Back from break, Strong’s comeback hits a dead end in the form of the Lethal Combination into the Koji Clutch. Lethal hits some suicide dives, because he’s more interested in “This is Awesome” chants than drawing heel heat, but Strong turns the third dive into a back suplex onto the floor. Strong gets a near fall from a superplex and transitions in the Strong Hold. Lethal counters and dishes out a third Lethal Injection, but Roderick kicks out. Screw you and your finishing move, Jay! Some fans chant “That was three” so I’m not sensing a groundswell of support for the plucky babyface. Lethal counters with a top rope Ace Crusher for a near fall that the fans completely bought. I would have cared too but Strong already kicked out of Lethal’s finisher three times, so apparently he’s superman. Strong hits an excellently nasty double knee and puts together a combination culminating with a double knee backbreaker into the Strong Hold. I guess five finisher type moves in a row is enough for Lethal to finally get pinned at 14:47 (shown) and his 567 day TV title reign has finally ended. *** for the effort and final stretch, but these guys still use finisher kick-outs as a crutch.Winner and new TV Champion: Roderick Strong

Final Thoughts: Televised indie wrestling at its finest. These guys need to sit down and watch some NXT and take notes.